Barcelona are in the form of their lives under Hansi Flick, and the 5-1 Champions League demolition of Feyenoord announced their continental ambitions as loudly as anything they have produced in recent seasons. Lamine Yamal was the standout, breaking Kylian Mbappe's Champions League record in a performance that drew public Ballon d'Or backing from his own manager. Raphinha, operating as a makeshift centre-forward, scored twice and continues to thrive in the role Flick created for him during the summer rebuild. The German coach has since described the Brazilian captain as operating on "another level."

The result extended Barcelona's winning run to five consecutive matches across all competitions, with 17 goals scored and just one conceded in that stretch. They sit top of LaLiga on 12 points from four games, level on points with Real Madrid but having played one game fewer.

Flick has not allowed the momentum to breed complacency. Ahead of Sunday's trip to face Levante at the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia, he warned publicly that "things can change very fast" and demanded his squad maintain full concentration. Levante sit 11th and arrive into this fixture on the back of a goalless draw, though they did beat Real Betis 5-2 earlier in August. Barcelona carry injury concerns, with Frenkie de Jong, Roony Bardghji, Jesse Bisiwu, and Eric Garcia all sidelined, but their squad depth has not been seriously tested yet this season.